Hydrolyzabilities of different corn stover fractions after aqueous ammonia pretreatment

The effect of aqueous ammonia pretreatment on the hydrolysis of different corn stover fractions (rind, husk, leaf, and pith) by xylanase (XYL) with cellulases (CELs) was evaluated. The aqueous ammonia pretreatment had excellent delignification ability (above 66%) for different corn stover fractions. The corn rind exhibited the lowest susceptibility to aqueous ammonia pretreatment. The pretreated rind showed the lowest hydrolyzability by CEL and XYL, which was supported by a high content of crystalline cellulose in the hydrolyzed residues of rind, as confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD). With the addition of 1 mg XYL/g dry matter, a high glucose yield (above 90%) could be obtained from the pretreated rind by CEL. The results revealed that a high hydrolyzate yield of corn rind after aqueous ammonia pretreatment could be obtained with 1 mg xylanase/g dry matter, showing that aqueous ammonia pretreatment and xylanase addition to cellulases have great potential for the efficient hydrolysis of corn stover without previous fractionation.